*
He hadn’t goneto check on his horse, nor had he lain down to rest. Instead, Essien decided to go into the village.
The tournament was being held in a wide-open field to the southeast of Lioncross Abbey Castle. The precise location was in the space between the village of Lioncross and the castle itself, so the rather large vendor village that had popped up to the east also butted up against the village itself, integrating itself into the cottages that were on the fringe of the settlement.
That was how Essien found himself in the village.
He’d just wandered in. He could smell fresh bread baking somewhere and had followed his nose, but then the wind shifted and he found himself standing in a small avenue that was full of people but no bread. At one point, he thought he caught a flash of Rebecca’s bright red hair, and that had him darting into an alleyway to get away from her. Pressed flat against the wall that he was next to, he dared to peek out from behind his protection when he heard sniffles.
Lots of them.
Curious, he looked around only to see a small girl sitting on the ground several feet away. She had been partially in the shadows, so he simply hadn’t noticed her. She had bloodied knees, and her palms were scraped, and he turned to her purely out of natural concern.
“My lady?” he said gently. “Are you injured?”
The little girl looked up at him. She was a beautiful child, with dark blonde hair and enormous blue eyes. Those eyes were full of tears, running down her face, and her reply was to hold up her hands to show him the scrapes on her palms. She was quite young, and small, so he took a knee a few feet away to be more on her level.
“Did you fall?” he asked.
She nodded firmly, almost angrily, looking at her bloodied palms, but she didn’t speak. She just kept sniffling.
“Ah,” he said. “I see. Let me guess—you were chasing a very bad man whom you saw rob a vendor who was selling apples made from the shiniest gold. He took those golden apples, which were the only thing the vendor had to sell, because he has twenty beautiful daughters and he must buy silken dresses for all of them. Is that what happened?”
Her tears were fading. Sort of. “There were apples?” she said, wiping her nose and smearing mucus and dirt across her cheek.
Essien nodded. “Golden apples,” he confirmed. “You were very heroic to chase the thief, but do not feel bad that you did not catch him. He had five hundred men helping him and not even you can fight off five hundred men, so you should not feel sad. Let me take you back to your mother and she can clean your wounds. I will tell her how brave you were.”
The little girl wiped at her eyes but didn’t move as he had requested. She simply looked at him, repeatedly wiping her eyes and smearing dirt all over her face. She didn’t seem apt to speak again, even after his charming story, and he was running out of things to say.
He glanced at the child’s clothing. It was rather fine, with expensive embroidery, and she had well-made leather slippers. This wasn’t some lost peasant child. This was a child whose parents had means, perhaps even the child of a knight competing in the tournament.
Someone was surely looking for her.
“Since you are so brave, mayhap you will accompany me back to the lists?” he said, trying to convince the child to go with him. “Surely I will be quite safe with you as my escort. Will you not help me? Please?”
He held his hand out to her, but she continued to remain on the ground. She didn’t seem too eager to comply with hisrequest. He was certain that he was going to have to try again when she abruptly stood up. She didn’t take his hand, however, and Essien stood up beside her, thinking that she really was a tiny thing, and with so many people and horses and wagons about, a child that size could easily be lost or crushed. Essien had always been thoughtful and chivalrous, something that had gotten him into trouble on occasion. Whereas many knights could simply discount a lone child in need, Essien wasn’t one of them. His sense of compassion wouldn’t allow it. If there was a need for assistance, he would always offer to provide it.
Even to a lost little girl.
“My name is Essien,” he told her, reaching out to grasp her little hand. “What is your name?”
Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away from him. “Ines,” she said.
He smiled. “Lady Ines,” he said. “I am honored to make your acquaintance. Do you know where your mother or father is?”
She shook her head and hiccupped again. “I was finding the dog.”
“Finding the dog?” Essien repeated. “What dog?”
She pointed down the alleyway, to the busy street. “He ran away.”
He nodded in understanding. “I see,” he said. “Was it your dog?”
She nodded, wiping at her eyes again. As they began to walk toward the end of the alleyway, Essien reached down to pick her up to keep her safe.
“Now you are high up,” he said. “You can see more easily. We shall find your dog.”
She didn’t try to push away from him, thankfully. In fact, she’d been rather compliant. He’d taken about ten steps, heading toward the main road that would lead into the tournament village, when he heard someone shriek from behind. A faint sound, but unmistakable. Before he could turnaround to see the source of the sound, however, he received a heavy blow to his shoulder and neck.
